Guest ckim01 Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 I've been reading the ezboard for quite a while now and I think it's really great that there is so much help out there. Such a good feeling knowing there are other people lost out there and many willing to help! Well my story is.... I'm going into 4th year (of a 4 year program) and have an accumulative gpa about roughly 3.6. I have descent extra curricular activities, and will have some research experience. However... I wrote the mcats just a few days ago and as expected, I know I did not do well enough to meet the minimum requirements. I am going to apply to a few med schools in ontario this year and I was wondering if you guys can share your knowledge regarding where I should apply since I don't have great gpa or the mcat requirements... Does that automatically knocks out UofT and Queens.. and Western?? UofT would be my top choice but I'm afriad that they would just toss out my application since my gpa is quite low. Should I bother applying to UofT, Queens and Western since I'm pretty sure my mcat scores don't meet up or should I give it a try?? Its a pretty expensive and time consuming process... however, I heard that some schools will loook at you more if you have applied multiple times. With that in mind... should I try applying to these schools since I will most likely have to apply more than once? So confused and discouraged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Elaine I Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Hi there, Since you said you just wrote your MCAT on Aug 20, you obviously don't have your marks back yet. Therefore, while you may not think you did well, you really don't know. Each year, many people think they did poorly, yet score quite high. Because the AAMC doesn't release our marks until after the OMSAS deadline, I would not base application decisions on your potential MCAT scores. Instead, consider whether your GPA is competitive for each school. Whether your GPA is competitive for each school will depend on how each school calculates GPA: - UWO - You must have 2 years (5.0 credits) with a minimum of the cut-offs (3.7 in the past - IMHO, unlikely to go down this year). If you have one year at or above this cut-off, it makes sense to apply, hoping that you can maintain the same mark during your fourth year. - Queen's - In the past, a slightly lower GPA than UWO (3.66 last year), calculated EITHER by your overall GPA or by your most recent two years at the time of applying (your 2nd and 3rd years). - U of T - Minimum of 3.6. If you've always carried 5.0 courses per year, U of T will apply a weighting formula removing one course per year. (I think that's how it works - doesn't apply to me, so I'm not 100% sure.) If you meet the 3.6, apply. There are always people who get in with 3.6. Also, U of T has lower MCAT cut-offs than Queen's or Ottawa. - McMaster - Minimum 3.0 counting all courses. MCAT not looked at. - NOSM - Minimum 3.0 counting all courses, using a weighted GPA (1st yr * 1, 2nd yr * 2, 3rd yr * 3). NOSM counts "context" (essentially geography) quite high (as high as GPA), so you may want to consider whether you've ever lived in a more rural or remote community and/or whether you have a desire to practice medicine in one. - Ottawa - Uses same weighting formula as NOSM. No MCAT. Depending on whether you are from Ottawa or an underserviced area, your GPA requirement could be quite low. If you aren't, however, the cut-off has been around 3.83 in the past for Ontario students. I don't believe any schools will consider the number of times you've applied to medical school, and therefore, there is no official benefit to multiple applications. However, there are some unofficial benefits. First, you might get in! Second, going through the application cycle gives you practice at writing essays, and figure out answers to many of those questions like why you want to be a doctor. Going through that process can help with the motivation to continue to do well this year, and deciding whether to reapply if necessary. Best wishes, Elaine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AngrySmurf0T9 Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Don't give up on your MCAT until you receive your marks back. I wrote that horrible test a year and half ago and can say with confidence it was the most depressing day of life. I randomly filled in bubbles for two of the verbal passages and the essays I wrote were garbage. By the time I got the biology section I felt devastated. Well, a few months later I got my mark back. I love the bell curve. I start frosh week at UofT medicine today. Best of luck and don't give up hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Elliott Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 I would get on the phone and start calling. Check out their websites. Go straight to the source. What we think doesn't really make a difference in the end. You never know what can happen. Find out what your options are (from the source) and go from there. Best of luck, Elliott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ckim01 Posted August 23, 2005 Report Share Posted August 23, 2005 hey guys, thanks for all the replies. I guess it's a good idea to apply to the med school even though i only see a speck of light at the end of the tunnel. I was wondering if anyone knows how important the prerequisite courses are. I have not taken organic chemistry yet and I'm debating whether or not I should take it since I hear that it is a very challenging course (also, it is only offered at the winter semester so the med schools really won't know that I took it when they are going through my applic). Thanks a bunch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.